No. 1 Florida 23, Arkansas 20

Arkansas went to The Swamp on Saturday as a 24 point dog against No. 1 Florida. The Hogs almost pulled off the biggest upset in Razorback history. Despite the loss, this is one of those games anyone would be proud to say "I was there." Arkansas had the lead on the Gators until late in the third quarter. A shaky kicking game and several bad calls on the Gators' final drive doomed the Hogs' upset.


Arkansas' defense, who had little respect coming into this game, had their way with Tebow and Florida's offensive line. Jake Bequette forced a huge fumble in the first quarter.


The fumble was one of four Florida turnovers in the game.


Tim Tebow was sacked six times on the day by the Razorback defense. Here DeQuinta Jones manhandles Tebow for the freshman defensive tackle's first sack of the season.


Jerry Franklin, left, and Matt Harris also got sacks on Tebow.


Broderick Green stretches out to the one yard line late in the first quarter. The ball popped out after he was down, made for a good shot. Green punched the ball in on the next play for Arkansas' first score in the game.


Dennis Johnson stepped up and filled Michael Smith's role at running back against Florida.


Johnson had 107 yards on 14 carries.


Ryan Mallett was up and down in the game. He started off shaky and finished 12-27 for 224 yards and one touchdown. Florida's defense got to him four times, which is still amazing considering the lack of respect Arkansas' O-line received coming into the game.


Mallett's numbers would've been much better had it not been for a few dropped passes, including this pass to Greg Childs in the end zone in the third quarter. Childs caught the same pass against Georgia. The ball just slipped between his elbows. What a heartbreaker.


The biggest plus out of this game was the defense. This is the same group that was dominated by Alabama during the Hogs' 33-7 loss on Sept. 26. They took on the No. 1 team in the country and essentially shut them down for an entire game. Malcolm Sheppard, above, drew a bad call on a crucial Florida scoring drive in the fourth quarter that gave them a first and goal. Had the call not been made, and the Hogs held, Florida wouldn've settled for a field goal. The SEC announced on Tuesday that the late hit penalty against Sheppard was a bad call. Too little, too late. (Update: The SEC announced Wednesday that the officiating crew of the game was suspended until Nov. 14 due to questionable calls in this game and the Georgia vs. LSU game a week earlier)


On the same drive Andru Stewart was blatantly interfered by Florida receiver Riley Cooper on a deep pass to the end zone. Had Cooper not touched Stewart it would have been an interception. Had the officials called offensive pass interference the Gators' drive would've stalled and the game probably would've gone into overtime. Nope, the officials were either blind, stupid or too scared to make the right call against the No. 1 team in the country at their house. Bobby Petrino had little to say officially after the game, but he had plenty to say to the officials on the field.


Unfortunately for Arkansas the game came down to kicking. And Florida made their kicks when it counted. The Razorbacks didn't.


Even after the way Arkansas' defense manhandled Tebow, Florida fans still think the man is a God. I really feel for the dude pictured above. You know he was laughing inside, just a little bit, each time Tebow was sacked. :)

Oh well, on to Ole Miss and Nutty this Saturday in Oxford.

Arkansas 44, Auburn 23

Since this is over a week late I won't go into too many details about the game, but Arkansas put a serious beat down on Auburn a week ago in Fayetteville. The forced turnover above by Andru Stewart was one of the biggest moments in the game, giving the Hogs a first down inside the Auburn 20 moments after putting seven on the board.


Michael Smith had 145 yards on the ground.


Strong safety Jerico Nelson was the Hogs' defensive hero of the game. He forced a fumble late that set up another Arkansas touchdown.


And he laid a killer hit for a loss on Auburn's Mario Fannin that fused their helmets together.


For a moment it looked like he just ripped the guy's head completely off.


Dennis Johnson on a big kickoff return and D.J. Williams picks up yards after a catch.


Arkansas' defense was incredible against Auburn.


Broderick Green punches into the end zone for a touchdown.


Greg Childs hauls in a touchdown pass and Cobi Hamilton goes over an Auburn defender for a catch.


Ryan Mallett went 24-37-1 for 274 yards and two touchdowns. He even scored his first TD on the ground for the season.


The game created a big boost for Arkansas. It carried them well into their game against Florida in Gainesville. We all know by now how that one turned out. Stay tuned for those photos in a few days....

Welcome to the Jungle

A feature snap from Bentonville's game against Rogers Heritage on Friday night. The game was all down hill for Heritage from this point on. Final score Bentonville 56, Heritage 27.

Arkansas 47, Texas A&M 19

Arkansas played their inaugural Southwest Classic game against Texas A&M last weekend at Jerry World, a.k.a. Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas. Talk about having to step up your game to get noticed in such a grand venue. The Hogs started off slow, falling behind 10 points to the Aggies in the first quarter. The forced fumble above sparked a furious comeback by the Razorbacks in the second quarter. The Hog calls would be non-stop from then on.


Linebacker Jerry Franklin returned the fumble 85 yards for a touchdown.


It was a big moment, to say the least.


Everyone played a role in the win. Both running back DeAnthony Curtis, left, and wide receiver Joe Adams put sixes on the board.


Freshman running back Ronnie Wingo Jr. was runner-up for play of the game with his huge 62-yard run to finish the Aggies in the fourth.


Wingo already has whispers of McFadden and Jones coming from the media and fans alike. Time will tell.


Senior tailback Michael Smith, left, and power running back Broderick Green also had sixes against Texas A&M.


Ryan Mallett was stellar once again going 17-27-1 for 271 yards and 4 TD's against the Aggies. He spread the ball out to seven different receivers. Greg Childs had 3 catches for 10 yards.


Bobby Petrino was throwing around a lot of compliments to his players. He had more happy faces than frowning faces this time around. It's hard not to smile when you've got guys like Wingo making plays.


Cowboys Stadium was simply amazing. Huge isn't huge enough to put the place into words. Obscene, maybe. That freakin' video board really is something to behold. Can't wait to return for another dose of Jerry World next year. :)

Time for bed. Arkansas vs. Auburn, or Petrino vs. Malzahn if you like, at 11 a.m. Could be a 100 point game.

Cover Time

More covers, Hawgs Illustrated Vol. 18, Issue 12 and Vol. 18, Issue 13.

War Hawk

A feature from tonight's cross-town rivalry game between Rogers Heritage High School and Rogers High School at Gates Stadium. The startup War Eagles put a 24-9 beat down on the Mounties in their old house.

No. 3 Alabama 35, Arkansas 7

Arkansas traveled to Tuscaloosa on Saturday and took a beating from No. 3 Alabama. Nobody really expected that the Razorbacks would be able to hang with the Crimson Tide. The first quarter did look promising for the Hogs, the score was 0-0 heading into the second quarter. After that though it really became a tale of two defenses. Alabama's being arguably the best in the league and Arkansas' being a work in progress.


Ryan Mallett entered the game as one of the league's highest rated quarterbacks. Three hours at Bryant-Denny Stadium brought that rating down considerably. Alabama's Greg McElroy had a great game, thanks to the Razorbacks' secondary.


When Mallett did manage to get the ball into the hands of Arkansas' receivers, like D.J. Williams, left, and Greg Childs, the pass was either broken up by Bama's secondary or the ball was simply dropped. Even the Hogs' studs looked nervous at times.


Tailback Michael Smith, left, and wide receiver Joe Adams were the biggest contributors to the offense. Smith had 61 yard on 12 carries and Adams netted 81 yards off six catches.


None of Arkansas' other backs, Broderick Green, left, and Dennis Johnson, could get much else going on the ground. The Hogs finished with just 63 yards rushing.


Bama, on the other hand, racked up 134 yards rushing. To Arkansas' credit, the defensive line did do a lot better against the run compared to their first two outings.


It was the Tide's passing game that really made Arkansas look bad. This 80 yard touchdown pass was one of the ugliest moments in the game. Rudell Crim had a chance to make a play on the ball, but didn't look back and didn't get his hands up when he should have.


Miscues and poor tackling plagued Arkansas' secondary throughout the game.


Hopefully the secondary will take notes from the defensive line's progress and things will come together for the whole unit by this coming weekend against Texas A&M.


Bobby Petrino has his work cut out for him this year. The Hogs have to start playing "Bobby Ball" if they're going to get enough W's for a bowl bid. Nick Saban, on the other hand, is pretty much in command of the SEC's west division. I bet the Tide will be in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game this year.


You stay classy Bama!

I'll be headed to Jerry World, a.k.a the new Dallas Cowboys Stadim in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday for Arkansas' inaugural Southwest Classic game against Texas A&M.